The sword training grounds were nearly empty by dusk. A faint layer of dust clung to the wooden dummies, and the air carried the scent of crushed camellias. It was here that Shen Lianhua once blushed behind her fan, dodging the Crown Prince’s cold stares.

This time, she didn’t look away.

She walked across the training court toward Li Shenzhao, who stood alone, practicing fluid, deadly sword arcs—grace sharpened by decades of pressure.

“Your Highness,” she said clearly.

He stopped mid-strike. His dark eyes flicked to her, unreadable as ever.

“You never use honorifics with me,” he said.

“Maybe today calls for one.”

He sheathed his sword and faced her fully. “Then speak. I’m listening.”

Her hands were steady at her sides. Her voice, not a tremor in it.

“Break the engagement between me and General Wei Xuanzhi. Immediately.”

His brow twitched. “Your father arranged that match. It’s considered advantageous by the court.”

“So was a noose for a condemned man,” she said. “But they still called it ceremonial.”

He blinked. Just once. She could tell she’d surprised him.

She stepped closer. “I don’t want him.”

“And what do you want instead?” he asked, watching her carefully.

“You,” she said.

The wind carried her words across the courtyard like a blade slicing clean.

Silence.

Then: “You’re serious.”

“Deadly,” she said. “I want to marry you. Publicly. Now. Before the Wei engagement is finalized.”

“You realize what that would mean?” he said slowly. “The crown prince choosing a bride out of nowhere? Breaking a military family’s alliance? The court will riot.”

“Let them,” she said. “They’re only loyal to titles. I’m loyal to survival.”

He studied her like he was seeing her for the first time—not as the girl who once watched him from behind screens, but as a woman forged by something he couldn’t yet name.

“And if I say yes?” he asked.

“Then I will be your most dangerous ally—and your most obedient wife. In that order.”

There was a flicker in his eyes. Not amusement.

Something closer to respect.

Or curiosity.

Or something older. Warmer.

“Very well, Shen Lianhua,” he said. “Let’s rewrite the game.”

Later That Night – The Imperial Study

Li Shenzhao stood before the Emperor and Empress with his hands clasped calmly behind his back.

“I wish to marry the daughter of Duke Shen. Immediately.”

Gasps followed. One eunuch dropped a scroll. The Empress's fan froze mid-wave.

“What of the Wei betrothal?” the Emperor asked, eyes narrowing.

“Broken,” Shenzhao said. “She desires me. And I see no political disadvantage in accepting the request.”

He didn’t say she asked first. That was for them to discover later.

The Empress spoke next, cautious but intrigued. “She’s beautiful, yes—but soft-hearted. Naïve.”

“Not anymore,” Shenzhao said.